Former pilot and Bulgarian president Radev fails to condemn Ryanair jet hijack

Lukashenko’s brazen interception and forced landing of a Ryanair passenger jet, in order to arrest an opposition activist on board, highlighted his utter disregard for the EU and its member countries, and his confidence in the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

EU leaders manufactured a veneer of toughness by adopting summit conclusions calling for an array of new punitive measures, including economic sanctions on individuals and entities, as well as targeted sanctions that could hit swaths of the Belarusian economy. 

Leaders demanded the immediate release of the opposition activist, Roman Protasevich, and his companion Sofia Sapega, as well as an “urgent” investigation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

In response to the interception of a passenger jet by Belarus, EU leaders on Monday demanded a barrage of new sanctions against the government of strongman Alexander Lukashenko.

In a statement after discussions at a summit in Brussels, heads of state and government called for sanctions against individuals and “entities.” They also said the Council of the European Union would adopt measures to ban Belarusian airlines from flying in EU airspace or accessing EU airports.

Surprisingly, Bulgarian Prezident Radev did not take a position in the EU Council about Belarus and the Lukashenko plane hijack. He did not do so before, nor after, nor during the council.

This is even more surprising as Radev is a former pilot and head of Bulgarian Air forces in NATO.

EU politicians and ex-pat Bulgarians in Brussels find this lack of a statement by the Bulgarian president strange and very confusing.

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